Felicia Santarossa
Monday Magazine contributor
The women who brought you Mom’s the Word, are at it again.
From July 24 to Aug. 12, Fernwood’s Belfry Theatre is bringing the laughs in the series’ third instalment: Mom’s the Word 3: Nest 1/2 Empty.
Get ready for another round of gut-busting humour with series’ creators Jill Daum, Alison Kelly, Robin Nichol, Barbara Pollard and Deborah Williams. The Arts Club Theatre Company production has the moms continuing their stark, candid insights, through stories and hilarious song parodies.
This time on stage, it’s the moms’ tumultuous marriages, changing, aging bodies (hello hot flashes and pool noodles), and their lives with kids leaving (or returning to) the nest. Teaming up with Australian director Wayne Harrison, there’s heavy heart in this comedy as well. Daum discusses her husband John Mann, lead singer of Spirit of the West, as he progresses in his journey of early-onset Alzheimer’s.
The internationally-acclaimed Mom’s the Word first premiered in Vancouver in 1994, soon becoming a universal success in showcasing new motherhood’s struggles and joys. The moms continued their stories in 2005 with Mom’s the Word 2: Unhinged. There, they uproariously delved into life with adolescent children. Later in 2009, the women created a combination of the two with Mom’s the Word: Remixed.
Belfry artistic director Michael Shamata says selecting the play came from how his love for the women of the series lives on. Almost 25 years later, he says, he is still amazed how these women make everyday life hilarious and moving.
Belfry season ticket holders get a 25-per-cent discount on tickets. For more information, check out belfry.bc.ca.
